So Much For Family
by vampsshouldntsparkle123
Summary: Nico is found bloodied and bruised in the underworld. Who did this to him? Will he be able to survive it? And will he and Hades ever connect in that father-son connection Nico longs for? R&R! Rated T for violence and cussing.
1. Dinner Time

Hiya fellow readers! I'm back! This was a kind of spur of the moment thing. Some of the characters may be OOC. So here it goes!

_**Nico: WAIT! Say it!**_

_**Me: NO I REFUSE TO SAY IT!**_

_**Nico: Come on, if you don't say it you'll be sued!**_

_**Me:* sigh* Okay. I don't own PJO.**_

_**Nico: There. Now, was that so hard?**_

_**Me: Yes it was. Now on with the story!**_

Nico's POV

Dinner time. The. Worst. Time. EVER. We were sitting around the table, Persephone, my dad, and I. It was so quiet you could hear the souls scream as if they were right next to your ear. The only other sounds that could be heard were the clanging of silverware on ceramic and the light tapping of a cup being set back down. Of course, since I was home, we were eating cereal. Great. As if Persephone didn't try hard enough to make my life a living hell as it is. I had learned to just stay silent and pretend I was enjoying myself, for my dad's sake if anything else. I sighed and was about to take another bite of the soggy disgrace for food when my dad broke the silence.

"Well, what did you two do today?" he asked. Persephone set her spoon in her bowl and cleared her throat.

"Well, as I was planting some geraniums in the garden today found my dandelions were gone and a certain hellhound was chewing on them!" she ended staring daggers at me.

I sighed and avoided eye contact with the Queen of Hell. Damn that hellhound.

"It wasn't like I told him to eat your precious flowers." I spat, annoyance dripping from my voice.

"Don't give me that sass, mister." She countered. I scoffed, earning a flabbergasted look from Persephone.

"How dare you! No wonder my flowers die all the time!"

"Lady, your flowers die all the time because IT'S THE FUCKING UNDERWORLD FOR DADDY'S SAKE!"

" YOU WILL NOT SPEAK TO ME THAT WAY!"

"YOUR NOT MY MOTHER!"

"AND FOR THAT I AM THANKFUL!"

At this my dad slammed his fists down on the table and shouted "ENOUGH!" Persephone and I looked at my dad in surprise and then slunk back into our seats glaring at each other. Wishing to end this lethal staring contest, I picked up my plate and took it into the kitchen. When I came out I could see my dad was still silently seething with rage. I slowly walked up beside him.

"Dad . . ." I whispered softly.

"Nico, I think you should go to bed now." He answered back as calmly as he could. I nodded and kept my head down as Persephone got up and hurried passed me into the kitchen. I knew what was coming next. My father and Persephone were going to fight, my dad would try to keep quiet for my sake, but then they soon would get lost in rage and forget I was even there. My dad was hoping I would be asleep before they got to that point so I wouldn't hear them. Only I knew that it was hopeless. I sighed and turned back to my dad.

"Goodnight daddy."

"Goodnight son." He answered, a little more calm. With that, I left and headed down the hall to my room. Just as I had reached the door, I felt hands wrap around my mouth and drag me down the hall, I kicked and tried to scream, but it was useless. I had just about gone limp when my attacker dragged me out to Persephone's garden. _What the Hades?_ I started up my frantic attempts to get away when I realized I had been dragged out to the back of the garden where I was sure no one could hear or see me unless they walked right into this part of the garden. Immediately when my attacker dropped me, I spun around to make a quick getaway but stopped short at the face of my attacker. _Persephone!_ And her eyes screamed bloody murder.

_**DUN DUN DUN! **__**What going to happen next? Plz review!**_

_**Nico: Why does everything happen to me?**_

_**Me: Because.**_

_**Nico: Because why?**_

_**Me: Because I'm the author and I say so. Is that a good enough reason for you?**_

_**Nico: …Yes.**_


	2. Persephone's Turn

Hey everyone im sssssssooooo srry for not updating in a while but I hope this feeds your appetite!

**Nico: geez Eliz your talking like this is some sort of food dish or something.**

**Me: well, it sort of is. Its food for the brains of readers who want more of my creative imagination!**

**Nico: do you ever think that maybe you might think to highly of your imagination and get TOO involved in this writing thing?**

**Me: *Isn't listening to Nico and is typing away on the computer.***

**Nico: Liz?**

**Me: *still typing***

**Nico: Liz?**

**Me: *still typing* **

**Nico: LIZ!**

**Me: *still typing***

**Nico: Ugg its no use . . . well she doesn't own PJatO even though she doesn't want to admit it (ducks from my flying shoe going straight for his head) now on with the story! (stays ducked down looking for more airborne shoes).**

**Nico's POV**

She was staring down at me, her eyes full of hatred and a bit of jealousy. Her hair was messy and in many tangles, her face was contorted in hate and rage, breathing heavily. As I looked beside her looking for escape routes I noticed there was a whip in her hand, which she clutched tightly. Suddenly, I knew her intentions, and I didn't like them. I gulped. "Uhh Persephone . . . maybe we could talk about this?" I tried. But she wasn't listening to me. In one swift movement she picked me up by my arm, flipped me onto my back, and ripped my shirt off. I tried to scramble to my feet to run away but she was to fast. She pulled the whip back behind her head and brought it down on my back before I could move. I screamed as loud as my lungs would allow, hoping my dad wasn't fully asleep yet so he could hear me and come to my rescue. I looked up at his bedroom window but it was a black as the underworld on a Halloween night during a blackout. I heard Persephone chuckle behind me. "Daddy wont save you now, you ungrateful brat." With that note she brought the whip down hard on my back six or seven times until my back was bleeding from every pore. And for the first time in years, tears were streaming down my face. She began kicking me in the sides and stomach so that I couldn't breathe anymore. As a last desperate attempt, I pulled out my cell phone to call my dad, but before I could touch a button on it Persephone kicked it out of my hands. She cackled with revenge as she sent another blow to my stomach when I tried to scramble to my feet to run. "You thought you could yell at me like that and not pay for it, huh? HUH?" Another blow to the side. I groaned and scrunched up in pain, silently crying to myself. "Your pathetic Nico. Your mother is dead because of your own uncle. Your sister didn't want to take care of you anymore so she ran away with those stupid hunters and got herself killed. The only family you have left is a father that is too busy with being a god that he has no time for you." Three more kicks. "And now you find out just how pathetic you are." And with that she leaned down, picked me up by my hair, dragged me over to the nearest rock, and smashed my head into it four times. Then she threw me onto the ground and left me there, crying and whispering to myself "daddy, daddy, daddy. Please help me daddy."

***Sniff Sniff* poor Nico . . . well that's the chapter. I hope you liked it! R&R please!**

**Nico: why does the bad stuff happen to me?**

**Me: Because . . .**

**Nico: because why?**

**Me: because . . . oh look! A flying elephant! *Quickly sneaks out of the room to avoid Nico's question* **

**Nico: *gasp*Where? *Spins around looking for the elephant***


	3. Daddy Hades

**Hello everyone! I'm back! How is everyone doing huh?**

**Nico: Well, besides being strapped to an electric chair I'm doing great!**

**Me: And that's what happens when you try to take my candy!**

**Nico: Hey I said I was sorry!**

**Me: Whatever. Well if I owned PJatO I wouldn't have Nico strapped to an electric chair here for TRYING TO STEAL MY CANDY! Oh and by the way last Friday was my birthday! Yah! And thanks to everyone's reviews that have kept me writing this story! I give you all a big daughter of Posiden hug! Thanks sssssssooooo much! And now on with the story!**

Hades's POV

After Persephone and Nico's fight at dinner I went up to my bedroom to sleep. As I was getting dressed in my black silk pajamas I was thinking about how I would get my wife and son to get along. I couldn't think of anything and decided to sleep on it as I crawled into the king sized bed I shared with Persephone. I wondered why Persephone wasn't up here yet but I was so tired I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. That night I had the most terrible nightmare ever! **(A/N: thanks to ncalkins for this idea!) **I dreamt that my wife was beating my son with a whip, shouting insults at him, kicking him until he bled from every pore. His screams and cries were so loud it was as if he was right underneath my window. Then, in the dream, Persephone smashed Nico's head into a rock four times! I was so glad it was only a dream. I mean it WAS just a dream, right? Suddenly I awoke from my terrible nightmare in a cold sweat just as I heard my bedroom door open. I looked to see my wife standing in the doorway with a crazy grin on her face. Her dress was splattered with blood and she was holding a whip in her hand. _What the?_ I thought. Then my eyes widened as I came to my senses. _The dream!_ I quickly hopped out of my bed and rushed out of my room, leaving my wife standing there giggling like an idiot. I rushed down the hall to Nico's room and saw his door closed. _Uh-oh. _I thought. _Nico always keeps his door open so his pet hellhound, Scout, can come in and sleep on his bed with him._ I flung his door open and saw his bed was made and Scout was sleeping soundly at the foot of his bed. I ran out to the back of Persephone's garden, dread and guilt filling my heart. I reached the back of the garden, and there, right in front of me, was my son. He was bleeding with whip marks all over his back, his head bleeding like crazy. "Oh my son!" I yelled dropping to my knees and picking up my poor little son and pulling him into my lap. His eyes flickered open, and he said in a very weak voice "Daddy. . . I knew you'd come for me . . ." He felt so weak in my arms. "Hush, my son. I'm so sorry. I should have been here for you earlier. Oh, please forgive me." I cried out to my dying son. I knelt over him so the only thing I could hear was his heartbeat and his scared whimpers. I tried to shush him, to tell him that everything was going to be OK as I picked him up and carried him into the palace and up to my room. I laid him on my bed as I heard my wife scream "WHAT IS HE STILL DOING ALIVE? GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" I turned angrily towards her and rammed her, slamming her into a wall. I held her there by the throat as I leaned next to her ear and whispered "Get your stuff, leave the underworld, and never. Come. Back." I dropped my stunned ex-wife. She sat there like the idiot she was, staring at me until she mumbled "Wh-what?" I growled. "You heard me. Get out of here and leave me and my son alone!" she stared at me in utter surprise. I quickly turned my attention back to my whimpering son. I sat next to him and rubbed his forehead with my palm. "My poor son. My poor, poor son." I cried over him as he whimpered in pain and fear. I picked him up and cradled him in my lap whispering "Shhhh it's ok Nico. Daddy's here. Daddy's here. I wont let anyone hurt you anymore. I swear on the River Styx." Thunder rumbled in the distance.

**Hmm . . . what do you think? Too much daddy son fluff? Let me know!**


	4. Meanwhile, On Olympus

Hi folks! First off, I would just like too say . . . THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR REVEIWS!

**Nico: Geez you're so obsessed with these reviews aren't you?**

**Me: Shut up. Anyways, for everyone who was fussing about the whole calling him daddy thing. . . WHO FRIKING CARES? I mean, seriously. Come on people! And to all the people who don't like the whole Persephone leaving thing, I understand, but trust me you guys are gonna love the way this plays out.**

**Nico: I know I will . . .**

**Me: And I would just like to give out a quick thank you to ncalkins for all his wonderful ideas for this story. I'll point them out to you guys. And a quick thank you to sweet-loving-zombie for his idea that sprouted into this chapter! Thanks everyone!**

**Nico: Ok she's obsessed with all her fans. (Ducks from my shoe flying towards his head) AND SHES OBSESSED WITH THROWING SHOES! Stupid cousin . . . (Ducks from another one of my shoes) **

**Me: Hey your other big sister is coming to beat up Persephone and say hi! And you know that even though she is my cousin she is also my best friend, I'm sure you're not in the mood to be lectured by her about our unhealthy levels of insanity now are you?**

**Nico: No . . .**

**Me: Alright now for those of you who are not aware I don't own PJatO, sadly. :,( Oh and I'm leaving soon to go to Missouri for two weeks so I wanted to update another chapter before I left! And now on with the story!**

Olympus POV

Today was a normal day on Olympus. Hera and Zeus were arguing, as was Apollo and Artemis and many others, Hermes was stealing while everyone was distracted by the normal day chaos, Ares was hoping a fight would begin, and Hestia was tending to the fire when suddenly Persephone burst through the doors with many suitcases by her side and her dress splattered with blood.

And, for once on Olympus, everyone was quiet. The first person to break the silence was Demeter.

"Persephone what are you doing out of the Underworld? And why is your dress so dirty? It's not spring yet is it?" She asked looking around nervously like she forgot something important.

"No mother it's not spring yet." Demeter sighed in relief. "No, I'm here because Hades kicked me out."

Everyone gasped. Again, the room fell silent as everyone stared at Persephone as if contemplating if they should put her in the loony bin. After about 5 minutes of the stunned silence everyone burst into question.

"Why?"

"What happened?"

"What's up with your dress?"

"It's because you ate all the low fat chocolate bars isn't it?" Hermes asked the last question. Soon Zeus slammed his fist down on the arm of his throne and shouted "SILENCE!" After the shouting had died down Zeus turned to Persephone and said, "Now, Persephone, why don't you tell us what happened?"

"All right. Well, the other day I found Nico's hellhound Scout eating my flowers and when I mentioned this to him at dinner he made fun of me! Hades didn't see any fault with this, obviously, so I decided to teach Nico a lesson. And the next thing I knew Hades was on me like a madman telling me to pack up and leave. So, here I am." She finished, shouldering the suitcases she was holding. Again, everyone burst in with there own two-sense.

"What do you mean 'teach him a lesson'?" asked Posiden, eyeing Persephone's dress suspiciously.

"I'll show him what happens when he kicks my daughter out!" Shouted Demeter.

"Are you sure you weren't drunk?" Dionysus asked.

Again Zeus got everyone's attention. "No one is going to do anything until we get Hades side of the story! Isn't that right Demeter?"

Demeter sighed. "I suppose so. But he better have a good reason for kicking my daughter out!"

"Good. Now, seeing that it is 12:45 at night we will all go to the Underworld in the morning to get Hades side of the story. Council dismissed!" And on that note everyone left talking about the events of that night.

**Well what do you think? I love all these reviews I'm getting and I'm having lots of fun expressing my creativity with this story! Please R&R!**


	5. Hades's side of the story

Hiya everyone! I had a great time in Missouri! It's good to be home though . Anyways I have been thinking a lot about this chapter so much I started typing it in my head during my dreams! So I hope it's good! Thanks everyone for waiting!

**Nico: Ugg Liz why'd you have to give my half sister the idea of giving me a lecture about your guys's unhealthy level of insanity? I could probably write a book on it now!**

**Me: Well maybe now you won't forget about it and not judge our actions so quickly anymore! And anyways she would have given you a lecture even if I hadn't brought up the idea. Cuz she's awesome like that. Yeah she's my favorite cousin. No offense to all my other cousins I love you guys too! Ok now on-**

**Nico: WAIT! Aren't you forgetting something?**

**Me: *sigh* I don't own PJO. *Whimpers***

**Nico: good. Now on with- **

**Me: MY LINE! (Nico slinks back down in his seat) Now on with the story!**

Zeus's POV

After all the gods got some sleep (**A/N: do the gods need sleep?) **we all got in our vehicles and left for the underworld to get Hades side of the story. Even Persephone came, not willingly, may I add for her mother had to drag her along the whole time. We finally arrived and Charon let us on the ferry without any questions. Something told me he knew why we were here. We all walked quickly to Hades's palace, Persephone kicking and screaming the whole way. I could sense every other god and goddess was as tense as I was. I suppose we all knew something was going to be inside that palace and it wasn't going to be pretty. When we got to the doors of the palace we all stopped. Even Persephone stopped her fussing and stood up looking like she was ready to face her ex- husband and ex- stepson. We were all still frozen outside the palace afraid of what we were going to find. I felt since I was the leader of the gods it was my place to open the palace doors. When I did we all walked inside. It was quiet. Too quiet. We all walked cautiously through the halls listening for any sound or sign of Hades and Nico. Suddenly everyone stopped. We all heard something. I knew we had. It was the sound of a child's scared whimper. We all picked up the pace, following the sound, all the way down the corridor, around a bend, down another corridor, and finally ending at the end of another corridor. I had been to this room before. It was Hades's room. I was so anxious to know what was on the other side of the door I quickly flung it open and stepped inside. What I saw made my heart stop. There, sitting on Hades's bed, was Hades. He was sitting criss-cross applesauce in the middle of the bed hunching over the source of the sound that led us here. That source was Nico. He was lying in a curled heap in Hades lap curling up to his father. He had bruises everywhere; whip marks all over his back, bleeding from every pore. But the worst of his injuries was his head. It bleeding freely and his skull looked like it was . . . dented. Whoa. I felt sorry for Hades. If someone had done this to Thalia I would kill them, tell Hades to bring them back to life just so I could kill them again! At that moment Hades noticed we had arrived. He looked us over until his eyes rested on Persephone. He froze, then turned to me and growled through clenched teeth "What. Is. She. Doing. Here?" Before I could even ask him his side of the story, which I was already piecing together in my head, Nico looked up to survey us just as his dad had. When his eyes rested on Persephone they grew wide with fear as he began whimpering louder and tried to scoot as far away as possible from his ex-step mom in panic. Hades attention quickly turned back to his son. "Shhhh its ok Nico. She can't hurt you anymore. Daddy's here. Daddy's here. Calm down." He calmed his son with these words while pulling him closer to his lap and rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand. Nico calmed down but clutched closer to his father. I stepped forward to address my brother. "Hades, when Persephone showed up in Olympus she said Nico was making fun of her so she taught him a lesson but I see now that is not the case. What really happened here, brother?" Hades turned back to me and started at the same spot Persephone started at. "At dinner I asked what these two had done today. Persephone said Nico's hellhound had ate some of her flowers and all Nico was doing was defending himself and his pet. I find no fault in that. Then I fell asleep and I had a dream that she was beating him up and when I woke up I found it was true so I kicked her out. Simple as that." Once Hades finished his story everyone gasped and turned to Persephone, who was seething with rage. "LIES!" she shouted. "IT'S LIES, ALL OF IT!" Then everyone burst in with their own two sense.

"That's not the wisest way to handle things." Said Athena.

Demeter slapped her daughter and cried out "I am ashamed to be your mother!"

"How could you abuse a poor, innocent child?" Hera shouted.

Soon the room was filled with the shouting of angry gods and goddesses. I was afraid it would never end until Hades shouted at the top of his lungs "QQQQQUUUUUUIIIIIIIEEEEETTTTT!" we all looked to him in surprise until we noticed Nico was whimpering louder than usual and he was burying his head into Hades's chest while trying to cover his bloodstained ears. Hades rubbed the back of his son's head and whispered soothing things to him before looking up at us again. "Quieter please." He replied. We all suddenly looked ashamed. While I was thinking about this situation I suddenly had an idea.

CLIFFE! Hahahahaha sorry but I wanted to cut it off right there.

**Nico: yah what a GREAT place to stop . . . *ducks from flying shoe . . . again* **

**Me: shut up im tired! Anyways Gnight everyone, I hoped you enjoyed this chappie R&R please!**


	6. Zeus's idea

Hi everyone! I just spent 2 days at the coast! I had fun! But I missed my laptop. Reunited once again! Anyways here's the next chapter!

**Nico: . . . when are you gonna remember without me having to tell you? **

**Me: SHUT UP! Maybe once I get over it . . .**

**Nico: which will be never. (Ducks from flying shoe) what is with you AND THROWING SHOES?**

**Me: *shrugs* Dunno. *Sigh* if I owned PJatO I wouldn't be writing this fanfiction now would I? Nope. Now on with-**

**Nico: THE STORY!**

**Me: *death glare***

**Nico: *gulp* daddy protect me . . .**

***Flashback***

_Soon the room was filled with the shouting of angry gods and goddesses. I was afraid it would never end until Hades shouted at the top of his lungs "QQQQQUUUUUUIIIIIIIEEEEETTTTT!" we all looked to him in surprise until we noticed Nico was whimpering louder than usual and he was burying his head into Hades's chest while trying to cover his bloodstained ears. Hades rubbed the back of his son's head and whispered soothing things to him before looking up at us again. "Quieter please." He replied. We all suddenly looked ashamed. While I was thinking about this situation I suddenly had an idea . . ._

Zeus's POV

There was only one way to solve this. I knew Hades and Persephone wouldn't like it but it was the only thing I could think of.

"Everyone, I have an idea!" that got everyone's attention. They all looked at me expectantly.

"I think we should settle this matter . . . in court."

Gasps filled the air once again. There were murmurs from the other gods and goddesses all around the room.

"Brother, what do you mean court? As in, a judge and a jury and all that?" Posiden asked. Athena rolled her eyes. "Yes Posiden. What other kind of court is there?"

Apollo stepped in. "Well there's a ball court, a food court, a . . ." he wisely shut up when he spotted Athena glaring at him from the other side of the room. Artemis smacked the back of his head and pulled him to the back of the crowd to protect everyone from his stupidity.

"Ahem, yes as I was saying we should hold an Olympian trial tomorrow. I shall be the judge, and, of course, Persephone will be the defendant, and Hades will be the plaintiff. Which comes to the part that I don't think Hades will like very much."

Immediately, Hades attention turned from his dying son to his brother.

"And what would that be Zeus?" He asked.

"As you know, in a court case there will have to be witnesses to the crime. Of course, I see the only witness to this crime would be him." I nudged my hand towards Nico. Hades looked down at his son, then back at me. "Nico can't do that! Not in this state! Look at him! He can barely talk or walk, let alone stand at a witness stand! I will not put him through this!" He pulled his son closer to him as if to protect him.

"I'm sorry brother but there were no other witnesses. How are we going to get the real story without him?"

Hades sighed. He looked down at his little boy in his arms and knew that his brother was right.

"Alright." Hades finally said after a few minutes of silence. "But only if I can stand up there with him to support him."

I nodded. "Now as I said before the trial will be held tomorrow so everyone should get some rest. **(A/N: Again, do the gods need sleep?)** Everyone will meet me in the throne room tomorrow."

And with that everyone left except for Apollo who stayed to help Hades heal Nico.

**3****rd**** person POV**

"How bad is it Apollo?" Hades asked.

"Very bad. I can't heal him completely. He will have to do that on his own. But there are some things I can help with."

Apollo raised his hands and laid them on Nico's body. Suddenly, the blood covering Nico disappeared. Apollo took his hands off Nico's body and then looked back up at Hades.

"I have stopped the blood flow so he won't bleed to death. But you will have to stitch him up and help him get through the rest of the pain. And I must warn you he will suffer a bad concussion and mild brain damage that will affect his speech pattern and movement pattern, but will get better as he heals." With that, he stood up looking like he was going to leave, but turned back to Hades. "Good luck." He said. Then he turned and left the room.

**If I messed up on any of the court stuff I apologize. But let me know at least. Same with the medical stuff. Thanks fo**r **reading! R&R!**

**Nico: Hey could you let me down from this electric chair now? *ZZZZZZAAAAAPPPPPP* OOOOOOWWWWWWW!**

**Me: NOT UNTIL YOU APOLIGIZE FOR STEALING MY LINE!**

**Nico: OK, OK, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!**

**Me: Good. *Leaves room***

**Nico: Uhhh . . . . . ****Liz? Hello? Can anyone get me down from here?**


	7. The visit

Hello everyone! I'm back! Sorry I've been busy with life I've had no time to type this chapter! Oh well on goes life.

**Nico: for you maybe . . .**

**Me: Now, now Nico. If it weren't for your big sister you'd still be up there in that electric chair so I suggest you be nice. Oh, and she said she was coming to visit you and your dad and Persephone very soon. *Evil smirk***

**Nico: 0.o what was the evil smirk for?**

**Me: you'll find out . . .**

**Nico: oooooookkkkkk…0.o I hope she doesn't give me a lecture on your unhealthy levels of insanity again . . .**

**Me: and if she does you only have yourself to blame because this time I didn't give her the idea, YOU did.**

**Nico:** **Oh Styx** . . .

Me: anyways, I'm not Rick Riordan so I don't own PJatO. *Sigh*

Nico: (clapping) congratulations Liz! You finally put a disclaimer without me having to tell you! *Ducks from my flying shoe* But you can't stop throwing shoes. *Shakes head* Now on with-

Me: AHEM

Nico: *glances at the electric chair in the corner of the room then slinks back down in his chair*

Me: Now on with the story!

Hades's POV

Once all the gods had left the Underworld I finally left my son's side to get some stitches- ok, A LOT of stitches- and a needle to sew up my son. Gosh, saying it like that makes me want to cry. I know what your thinking, the God of the Underworld, crying. Well, Nico was special to me. He is my first little boy, the only one of my children alive today. My little Ghost King. My little prince of the Underworld. I sighed as I walked back into my room and sat down on my bed next to Nico. Even looking down at all his cuts and bruises made me hurt all over. I winced. As I picked up my little boy and started stitching him up I suddenly heard the door to my palace open and people rushing inside. At first I thought the gods had come back, but then I realized the footsteps were too light to be a god. They scrambled up the corridor and practically broke down the door. Then three children ran inside my room screaming, "Where's Nico? Is he ok?" and, "Stupid Persephone! What's her problem?" I sighed as I recognized them. Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia. Percy was Nico's best friend and was sort of like a big brother to Nico. He had been over many times before. Annabeth was another one of Nico's friends and Percy's girlfriend. She had been kind of a big sister/motherly figure to Nico ever since Bianca died. Thalia was Nico's girlfriend (A/N: sorry all you Thalico haters, but I love Thalico!) and had left the hunters and went through one of Zeus's lectures to be with him. They all came in and stood in a line in front of the bed asking billons of questions, each competing to talk over one another.

"!" I yelled again for the 2nd time that night. That shut them up.

"Now, who told you about this?" I asked, though I think I already knew what the answer was going to be.

"Our parents told us." They all said at the same time.

"Do any other demigods know about this?" I asked, worried they were a lot more children coming.

"No. They only told us since we are his closest friends." Percy answered. I sighed in relief. The children looked down at Nico with sadness in their eyes. Percy was the first one to lean down closer to Nico and talk to him as I stitched him up.

"Hey Zombie Dude." He said. Nico smiled.

"Hhhii ppercccyy." His words were slurred just like Apollo said they would be. Percy sighed in sadness as he looked over his cousin's wounds. That's when Annabeth leaned down next to Percy, wrapping her arm around Percy's middle before looking at Nico.

"Hey Death Breath." She said softly. Nico's smile didn't fade.

"Hhhii aaaannnnaaaaabbeetth" Annabeth sighed then got up, sat at the edge of the bed, and started explaining to me how to stitch up a cut.

Next to talk to Nico was Thalia. She sat in front of Nico and I and grabbed Nico's hand.

"Hey sweetie." She whispered as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

Nico's smile widened. "Hhheeeyy bbbaabbe" he whispered back.

Thalia sighed and leaned down and kissed him ever so gently on the lips.

"I love you." She whispered her mouth right next to his.

"Iiiii lloovvee yyouu ttoooo." He whispered right back. She smiled as she leaned back up so she was sitting upright. Nico kept whimpering and wincing as I stitched him up with Annabeth's help. That's when Percy noticed something.

"Is Nico smelling him?" Percy asked disbelievingly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Of course he's smelling him. Why wouldn't he?"

Percy and Thalia both looked at Annabeth like she had just grown antennas.

Annabeth noticed this and sighed as she began to explain.

"You guys know how a baby is calmed by their mother's heartbeat?" They nodded.

"Well demigods are calmed by the smell of their godly parent. (A/N: something I made up yesterday!) How could you guys not know that?" She finished.

"Well I don't exactly go smelling my dad every time I feel stressed out." Percy retorted back. Thalia laughed. After I finished stitching up Nico the children said their goodbyes and left. Then I laid Nico down on the bed and lay next to him and we both fell asleep.

That was the night that I found out how scary nightmares can be.

Another cliffe! Yay! 0.o wow I am not very pronoun friendly today. Oh well. I hope you liked this chapter! R&R!

Nico: Why do you have to have an electric chair in your author room?

Me: Because it makes things . . . interesting . . . *Evil smirk*

Nico: Yah I've seen your idea of interesting and it's not lovely . . .

Me: *Evil laugh*

Nico: 0.o


	8. Nightmares

Hi everyone! I'm sssssssooooo sorry I haven't been updating but I've been really busy. I know I keep using this excuse but it's true.

Nico: You know what I'm gonna say.

Me: *sigh* I don't own PJatO.

Nico: How did you remember in the last chapter?

Me: I was eating peanut butter.

Nico: You were eating peanut butter?

Me: *Nods head vigorously*

Nico: 0.o oooooookkkkkk…

Me: Yes. And today I was eating candy.

Nico: How does this make a difference?

Me: I'm too hyper to remember to put a disclaimer; I wanna get to the story!

Nico: Fine, fine. Then I guess it's on with-

Me: THE STORY! And if you do that again Nico, the electric chair over there is looking kind of lonely . . .

Nico: *gulp*

Previously, on So Much For Family

_After I finished stitching up Nico the children said their goodbyes and left. Then I laid Nico down on the bed and lay next to him and we both fell asleep._

_That was the night that I found out how scary nightmares can be._

Hades's POV

As I lay next to my sleeping son, slowly drifting off to sleep, I was thinking about the court tomorrow. How was Nico supposed to tell them his side of the story? He couldn't stand, walk, or stay awake for more than 20 minutes! Plus the fact that he can't talk very long without becoming nauseous. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of Nico screaming in pain.

"Nnnnoooo! Gggeettt aawway froomm mmmee! G-g-get aawwaaayyy!" He sleep-yelled as he thrashed madly, trying to hit something in the air. Quickly, I sat up and began to shake Nico awake.

"Nico! Wake up Nico! Wake up!" I started panicking until his eyes shot open and he stopped screaming. I gave him a few minutes to catch his breath and get his bearings. Once he did his eyes settled on me and tears began to stream down his cheeks.

"Ooohhh Daaadddyyy! Ssshhee waass hhuurrtttinnng mmmee aaggaaiinnnn! Iiinn mmmyyyyy ddrreeeaaammm iiii cccouuulldddd fffeeellllll iiittt, iii rreeaallllyyyy ccoooulllldddd! Iiittt waass tteerrriibbllleee iiittt . . ." I couldn't take it any more. I picked him up and pulled him into my lap, trying to shush him as he babbled on about how she hit him and kicked him and insulted him. Finally he quieted down for a few minutes. Once I thought he was finally falling back to sleep, he spoke.

"D-d-daaadddyyy?" he called out.

"Yes my son?" I answered.

"Wh-wh-whaaattt iifff shhee ccooommssseee bbaaccckk aannd yyouu ccann'tt pprrootteeccctt mmmee?"

That one hit me hard. Did he really think there could be a time when I couldn't protect him? Well, there could be a time when he's at camp and she tries to get him there but there are people there that could protect him. Like Dionysus or, oh what was his name, Chiron? Yes I think that was it. And his friends, like Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Grover, Conner, Travis, Katie, Leo, Piper, Jason, even some of the gods could consider themselves friends with Nico. Almost everyone adored Nico. I loved having the youngest child of my brothers' and mine children even though, technically, Nico was the oldest of them all. But he still looked like a little kid and acted like a little kid, which was why everyone adored him. I realized that I had been quiet for 5 minutes and had left Nico's question hanging.

"Now Nico I want you to listen to me and I want you to listen good." Once I knew I had his attention I spoke slowly and clearly to make sure he understood how I felt about his question.

"It. Will. Never. Be. Out. Of. My. Power. To. Protect. You. Even if your not here, you will be protected. I swear on the river Styx." We both listened to the thunder rumbling in the distance. Nico sighed and nodded his head. I sat there and rocked him a bit longer until he fell asleep. I fell asleep right there, sitting up. It was only 3 hours later when my son screamed again, waking me up. I sighed. I could tell this was going to be a very long night.

Done! I really wanted to update before everyone of my fans got bored waiting for me to update. I really hope I'm not to late! R&R plz!

Nico: Okay Liz, how many fans do you think you have?

Me: Gee Nico, I don't know. How about we let the readers answer that one, huh?

Nico: Yes, yes we should . . .


	9. Author's note sorry

Yah, I know, I hate author's notes too, but I need your guys's opinion on something. I've been working on my writing style and vocabulary lately and, I must say, it's improved A LOT since I wrote this story. So, I must ask, and I'm leaning more towards yes on this question, should I start over? Not fully over, but, y'know, edit my chapters? Let me know.

** ~Lizzie**


	10. Please Read I'm Really Sorry

Hey guys! I am soooooooooooo sorry! I know you guys probably want to murder me in the worst way possible, and I deserve it. I haven't updated in forever. I hope you all saw Courtney-Helena Greene's review! Anyways, I've just been really busy and blah, blah, blah, whatever, no excuse can make up for this. …unless I was dying…

Anyways, I haven't put up a new chapter yet, but I'm working on it! I have, on the other hand revised the first chapter and am working on revising the other chapters too! So go check them out! I really encourage you to read the revised chapters if you want to read future chapters and understand them. So just… yeah. Addio!

**~Lizzie**


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